Sony Pictures unleashes first trailer for Adam Sandler’s ‘Pixels’

March 18, 2015

Sony Pictures Entertainment has unleashed the video game characters of the early 1980s on movie goers everywhere. On Tues., March 18 they launched the official trailer for Pixels, starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Ashley Benson, Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad.

The plot of the film centers around a broadcast sent into space during the Reagan Years aimed to reach out to possible alien life. Included in this broadcast were the popular video games of the era, such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Centipede and Galaga. The aliens apparently took this broadcast the wrong way, sending attackers to Earth in the form of our pixelated friends of years past. It is up to the gaming champions of the glory days of the video arcade to stop this onslaught of video game characters and save the world.

The end of the trailer features an appearance by NamcoBandai’s own Toru Iwatani, who created the now-classic original Pac-Man 35 years ago this year. A Pac-Man themed restaurant and entertainment complex called Level 257 recently opened near the Chicago area while a cartoon series and merchandise lines for the yellow gobbler are currently in production in the modern day. Iwatani’s inclusion is just one of several cameos in the film from legendary pioneers and popular personalities from around the video game world.

Online reaction to the Pixels trailer seemed to be somewhat mixed. Some video game fans expressed concern over the inclusion of Adam Sandler and Kevin James or even the old video game characters that established the industry. Other social media posters expressed excitement for the film, stating they felt it looked like a fun tribute to their favorite classic video game characters.